Mulberry Heart
Disease
Causal agent |
Vitamin E/
Selenium deficiency |
Age group |
Post weaning,
normally about 15-30 kg. |
Clinical signs
|
|
Acute |
Sudden
death. Generally the best pig(s) in
the group. |
No other
clinical signs. |
|
Infectivity |
|
Not infective to
other pigs |
|
Post-mortem
Lesions |
|
|
Large
amounts of fluid around the heart and lung
|
Haemorrhage and pale areas in heart muscle |
|
Fluid in the abdomen with pieces of fibrin |
|
Pale muscle areas in the leg and back |
|
The liver may be enlarged and mottled with
areas of haemorrhage and possible rupture |
|
Diagnosis |
|
Post mortem
findings |
|
Histological
examination of the liver, heart or damaged muscle |
|
Serum samples
may be difficult to interpretate |
|
Treatment |
|
Affected group |
Inject with 70 IU
Vit E. May need selenium, note
selenium can be very toxic |
While Vit E is a
fat vitamin Water soluble preparations are available |
|
Increase Vit E
in the feed to 150 mg (iu)/kg. Note in
start up units it may be advisable to provide 250 mg (iu)/kg from 10-18 kg in
weight |
|
Control
|
Review Vit E
concentrations in the feed |
Check
environment, remove stress factors |
|
Examine for
Glässer’s disease |
|
Review feed
storage, Vit E may be destroyed by high moisture and mycotoxins |
|
Review genetic
and breeding stock |
|
Common
differentials |
|
Glässer’s
Disease, Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia, Oedema disease and Streptococcal
septicaemias |
|
Zoonotic
implications |
|
None |